Alert systems and methods for a vehicle

• US 9,132,774 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kiefer, Raymond J., Green, Charles A., Grimm, Donald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US13/894,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140132405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.33, 340/438, 340/901
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

A method of alerting a driver of a vehicle is provided. The method includes: receiving conditions data from one or more collision avoidance systems; determining an alert mode based on the conditions data; and selectively coordinating an alert pattern for more than one of haptic alert devices, visual alert devices, and auditory alert devices based on the alert mode.

Claims

1. A method of alerting a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

receiving conditions data from one or more collision avoidance systems;

determining an alert mode based on the conditions data; and

selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns between at least two different haptic alert devices, two different visual alert devices, and two different auditory alert devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the alert mode comprises determining the alert mode to include at least one of an alert condition, a driving scenario, and a vehicle condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the alert mode comprises determining the alert mode to include at least one of multiple alert conditions, multiple driving scenarios, and multiple vehicle conditions, and wherein the selectively coordinating comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns based on the alert mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selectively coordinating further comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns for a same alert device, of the haptic alert devices, the visual alert devices, and the auditory alert devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively coordinating comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns between at least two different alert devices of the haptic alert devices, the visual alert devices, and the auditory alert devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively coordinating comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns between at least two different haptic alert devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively coordinating comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns between at least two different visual alert devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively coordinating comprises selectively coordinating multiple alert patterns between at least two different auditory alert devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the conditions data is from at least one of a line-of-sight collision avoidance system and a non-line-of sight collision avoidance system.

10. A control system for alerting a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

a first non-transitory module that receives, by a processor, conditions data from one or more collision avoidance systems, and that determines an alert mode based on the conditions data; and

a second non-transitory module that selectively coordinates, by a processor, multiple alert patterns between at least two different haptic alert devices, two different visual alert devices, and two different auditory alert devices.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the first non-transitory module determines the alert mode by determining the alert mode to include at least one of an alert condition, a driving scenario, and a vehicle condition.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the first non-transitory module determines the alert mode by determining the alert mode to include at least one of multiple alert conditions, multiple driving scenarios, and multiple vehicle conditions, and wherein the second module selectively coordinates multiple alert patterns based on the alert mode.

13. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second non-transitory module further selectively coordinates the multiple alert patterns for a same alert device of the haptic alert devices, the visual alert devices, and the auditory alert devices.

14. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second non-transitory module selectively coordinates the multiple alert patterns between at least two different alert devices of the haptic alert devices, the visual alert devices, and the auditory alert devices.

15. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second non-transitory module selectively coordinates the multiple alert patterns between at least two different alert haptic devices.

16. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second non-transitory module selectively coordinates the multiple alert patterns between at least two different visual alert devices.

17. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second non-transitory module selectively coordinates the multiple alert patterns between at least two different auditory alert devices.

18. The control system of claim 10, wherein the first non-transitory module receives the conditions data from at least one of a line-of-sight collision avoidance system and a non-line-of sight collision avoidance system.

19. A vehicle, comprising:

one or more collision avoidance system that generates conditions data; and

a control module that receives conditions data from the one or more collision avoidance systems, that determines an alert mode based on the conditions data, and that selectively coordinates multiple alert patterns between at least two different haptic alert devices, two different visual alert devices, and two different auditory alert devices.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the one or more collision avoidance systems is at least one of a line-of-sight collision avoidance system and a non-line-of-sight collision avoidance system.